


run batted in

by sooblushes



Series: college baseball rivals(?) [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baseball, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bald Kyungsoo, Explicit Sexual Content, Friendly Rivalry, Hopelessly in Love Kim Jongin, Inaccurate Descriptions of Baseball, Kyungsoo with Freckles, M/M, Shy Do Kyungsoo | D.O
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 11:36:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17446217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sooblushes/pseuds/sooblushes
Summary: Kim Jongin is the catcher for Yonsei University, Do Kyungsoo is the pitcher for Korea University. There are no dramatics, but they fall in love anyway.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> at long last, happy belated birthday to both kyungsoo and jongin! this is my first time trying to write some sort of attempt at plot, so please be gentle ♥
> 
> baseball barely exists in my country, and it shows. so sorry to anyone who actually knows even 1% about baseball. forgive me!
> 
> also, thank you to [redacted] and [redacted], who somehow figured out my main and confronted me about it, and now have to put up with me whining about my writing woes in return ♥
> 
> unbeta'd as always.

Summer gives way to autumn, to wet and humid days melting off for a cooler breeze, shades of gold and orange trees, and a sigh of relief from all the team members during practice. The unbearable heat of the sun no longer beats down on Jongin’s back on the diamond, where he crouches on chalk and dirt as the catcher for Yonsei University. He relishes in the cooler weather, although practice leaves him no less sweaty and sticky.

It has only been his first season with the university baseball team, but Jongin is no stranger to the aching muscles and tender joints in his knees and ankles. Baseball has been a part of his life since he could remember. 

He has fond memories of playing catch with his parents at the neighbourhood park in Suncheon near his favourite _ahjumma_ -owned ice cream cart. It was at that park, with its makeshift field and shakily drawn chalk lines, that Jongin first fell in love with baseball. He could still perfectly imagine the sound of the ball, thrown by his sister, hitting his mitt for the first time. The smell of the grass, the crack of the bat—those were all sensations that he fell in love with.

His older sister was the one who taught him basic pitching techniques, and she was the one who gifted him with his first catcher’s mitts too. He eventually outgrew those mitts, his hands and feet growing faster than his arms and legs in a way that left him looking a little funny as a kid, all the way up until he hit his growth spurt in middle school. But he never outgrew baseball, and he continued playing throughout high school where he trained vigorously under the watchful eyes of his team seniors and coach. 

In his final year, he even led the team to victory during the Blue Dragon Flag National Championship, and it was at that tournament that he had met with KBO scouts that coordinated with Yonsei to get him to where he is now: a first-stringer at one of the best and most competitive universities in South Korea.

Jongin stretches his arms out, up over his head and reaching for the sky, groaning noisily as he did so. The practice was rough today, their coaches working them harder than ever after Chuseok break. He could hear Chanyeol, their ace, drinking water noisily somewhere behind him as they both trudge towards their locker room. 

“Did you get up to anything fun for Chuseok?” Chanyeol asks him, slinging an arm over his shoulders. He jostles Jongin’s cap, and he pats it once in an apology.

Jongin shrugs his arm off his shoulders and readjusts his cap. Reaching into his locker, he gingerly grabs his towel and slowly begins to wipe up some of his sweat. It reeks a little bit—he forgot to bring it home with him to wash over the break.

“Yeah, went back to Suncheon and did the usual celebrations with family.”

“Right. You’re a Jeolla boy.”  
Jongin hums noncommittally and scrubs the towel through his damp locks roughly. “Yeah. You’re from Seoul?”

“Yep. Made some _songpyeon_ with my mom and sister, but neither of them had much time off so I mostly ate around the house.” Chanyeol’s last words were muffled as his head got caught in his shirt while taking off his uniform.

“Jongdae said he went back with you before practice.”

“Yeah, his family decided to take a trip to somewhere in Japan and he wanted to stay in Korea. It was fun, he’s chill,” the taller boy said. He swings his towel over his shoulder and walks, nude, towards the showers. “See ya in a bit, Jongin.”

Jongdae, their second basemen, and Chanyeol are two years above him—third years—and they’re both some of the friendliest faces on the team. Jongin has always been the shy type, despite his lasting popularity once he grew into his limbs a little, and the open kindness that the elders extend towards him is met with relief. 

He knew of their faces and their reputations somewhat vaguely, as you tend to do when South Korea is only so big and the high school baseball tournament can only invite so much competition. But he still feels a little like a loner in his team, like everyone else has formed a clique and has their inside jokes that he’s not yet privy to. 

Jongin glances at the time on his cellphone, taking stock of all the notifications he missed during practice. He has class in just 20 minutes. With a small muttered curse, he hurries to change out of his dirty uniform and hops in the shower with the other members.

* * *

He’s sitting in lecture when he feels the quiet vibration of his cellphone. The class is some history course on the Korean War, and he’s bored out of his mind listening to his balding professor drone on about some POW camp in Geoje. Jongin likes history, but this class is an easy A for his required Arts and Humanities credits and he’s tired enough after practice to tune out the lecture. But Dr. Shim is known for his low tolerance for technology, and even laptops aren’t allowed for note taking. 

When Dr. Shim takes a moment to fumble with trying to re-open his PowerPoint slides after accidentally clicking out onto his internet browser, Jongin takes advantage of his distraction and checks his phone. 

It’s a text from Jongdae.

_Hey, some of the boys r gonna hit up hyodong later tonite. Wanna join?_

Hyodong is a Korean Chinese restaurant that doesn’t take too long to walk to from campus. Jongin knows that the team goes there often for quick and easy meals, but he hasn’t had a chance to go yet himself.

He glances up at his professor, and sees that another student is walking to the front, presumably to help him with the laptop. 

_What time?_ He texts back quickly before placing his phone back on the table. 

His phone buzzes again almost immediately. 

_7ish? What time works for u?_

He mentally runs through his schedule for the rest of today, although he knows he isn’tplanning on doing much more than some homework and binging the rest of season 7 of Game of Thrones.

 _Sure. Who else is going?_

He’s a little sad to cut down on watching time for his show, but Jongin knows he needs to get to know his team members beyond just Jongdae and Chanyeol. He has only gone out with them a handful of times over the past few months, and now that he doesn’t feel like dying from the humid weather, he feels more inclined to go outside.

_Yeol, Minho, Minhyuk said they’re coming. Still waiting on Doojun and Taekwoon 2 respond tho_

_Kk see you later then_

As soon as he finishes sending his last text to Jongdae, Dr. Shim starts his lecture up again. Jongin sighs. Only another 40 minutes to go.

* * *

Later that night, Jongin heads to the restaurant with his baseball cap pulled over his hair. The evening air is still warm in September, but not overly so. The walk there is relaxing, and beautiful with the path lined with trees of gold and amber hues. It only takes about 15 minutes to walk there from his dorm, and he walks briskly through the road.

When he gets to the restaurant, he spots some of his team members sitting at a table tucked away in the corner closest to the washrooms. He counts and sees four of them. Doojun and Taekwoon must have bailed.

“Hey,” he says. He pulls out the remaining chair at the table and seats himself next to Chanyeol, who holds his fist out for a fistbump as soon as he spots him. The rest of the boys greet him, and he nods at them.

“We already ordered,” Jongdae says. He’s wearing his baseball cap too, like Jongin. “ _Jajangmyeon_ , _jjampong_ , _mandu_ , and some chicken. But feel free to add anything else you’d like.”

Jongin smiles in thanks, and takes the menu from Jongdae’s proffered hand. He flips through it, half-listening to Minho, the captain, rant about one of his biology professors. He sets the menu down and asks a nearby waiter for a pint of beer. 

“And then he apparently decided to mark us altogether instead of individually like it was written on the syllabus,” Minho says, waving his arms in furious motions. His big eyes widen further as he purses his mouth, annoyance clear on his small face. “I hate group projects, man. There’s always one person in your group who screws you over.”

Jongin makes a sympathetic noise, nodding in agreement. “This is for your semester project?”

“Yeah. So if Wooshik doesn’t get his shit together, then my grade is going to drop.” Minho takes a swig from his beer. He sighs. 

“Dude, that sucks. Can’t you protest it or something? Your professor is the one who said it would be individually graded,” Minhyuk chimes in.

“We tried, but he said it was just a typo. Isn’t that fucked?”

“Can he do that?” Chanyeol questioned. Jongdae nodded in agreement.

Before Minho could answer, the waiter places the dishes onto the table. The aromatic seafood scent from the jjampong wafts through the air, and Jongin’s mouth waters. He’s been craving soup lately, and this hits the spot. As the newest team member and youngest at the table, he grabs a ladle and starts scooping healthy portions of the soup into everyone’s bowls.

“Apparently, he can. Fuck,” Minho swears, heartfelt. He takes the bowl from Jongin with a quick thanks and returns to his rant. “It’s the last bio class I need to take for my degree, and I just wanted it to go smoothly.”

A round of agreement sounds from the table, and Minho sighs. 

“Let’s just eat. Thanks again, Jongin.” He smiles at Jongin. 

They start eating, chatting away about various idiosyncrasies in the academic system that frustrate them. But soon, the conversation moves away from school and back towards the sport, as it always does when you’re in a group surrounded by baseball freaks.

“Ah,” Jongdae says, suddenly. “The friendship games are coming up soon, aren’t they?”

The Yonsei-Korea University (or Korea-Yonsei University, depending on which school you attend) Friendship Games is an annual sports competition between Yonsei and their rival school, Korea University. Each year, they take turns hosting the tournament and this year, it’s Yonsei. 

The competition takes place every fall, with matches between the two schools in five different sports: basketball, rugby, football, ice hockey, and of course, baseball. Festivities line the days leading up and after the tournament, including nights filled with drinking till you drop and eating until you’re stuffed. 

Everyone in South Korea knows of this rivalry and their annual competition, with days of obnoxious displays of school pride and elaborate cheer routines during each game. But Jongin, being from South Jeolla, has never had a chance to attend one of the games. This year will be his first, and it’s as one of the participating athletes.

He’s _excited_. 

The tournament is massive, and as a baseball player, he gets to play in the Jamsil Olympic Stadium for the first time. He can already imagine the blood thrumming through his veins, the smell of the grass, the dirt under packed under the soles of his shoes.

“What’s the tournament like?” Jongin asks. He takes a slurp of his soup and grabs a bite of the chicken.

“Amazing,” Minho says. As the captain of the team, Minho represents the face of the team, and by extension, holds a lot of Yonsei pride as well—which is exactly what the school is looking for during the annual Friendship Games. “Our games get a decent turnout, right?”

Jongin agreeds. It’s true, the seats during their home games are often quite filled up. Besides friends, families, and lovers showing up for the games, there are always at least a few familiar faces in the crowd. Loyal followers of the team. 

“Well,” Minho continues. He’s pointing his chopsticks impassionately at Jongin now, soup dribbling off the thinner ends from where they were submerged in his bowl. “Imagine the crowd we get and multiply it by a hundred—no, a thousand. The entire stadium is filled with people, in both blue and red. It’s so loud, you can barely hear yourself think. Just imagine it, a whole Olympic stadium with at least half the people in there cheering for you. It’s amazing.”  
On anyone else, the passion Minho displays might have been embarrassing. But somehow, his enthusiasm comes off as infectious instead—charismatic.

There’s a reason why he’s captain, Jongin thinks, and it’s not just because he’s one of their best players and strategists. 

And with the picture Minho paints with his words, Jongin really could imagine it all. The crowd, the cheering, the music, the thrum of adrenaline that rushes through him when he’s there on the field and crouching behind the home plate.

“That’s if it doesn’t rain like it did last year,” Minhyuk adds.

Chanyeol nods. “That was disappointing. I hope they don’t cancel it again this year.”

“I think the students would riot if they did,” Jongdae says, only half-joking. “There was enough protest from canceling it last year.”

“I hope not.” Jongin frowns. “It would really suck if I missed out on this in my first year.”

* * *

Thankfully, the weather forecast predicts that it’ll be sunny all week and preparations for the Friendship Games begin in full force. In addition to their usual practices, the team, along with the other sports teams participating in the tournament, are forced to join cheer classes. Jongin learns that it’s a tradition for all athletes to perform a sort of team cheer before the games begin, alongside the cheerleading squad who have their own intense routine to learn.

At this point, Jongin’s just grateful that he hasn’t been forced to ditch any of his classes to attend any of these lessons—he heard from Sooyoung, one of Chanyeol’s friends who happens to be on the cheer team, that most of them were forced to skip classes in order to practice their routine. 

The Friendship Games are no joke, he quickly realizes. 

It’s at the end of one of these practices that their head coach, Mr. Kim, calls for a post-practice meeting in their locker room. 

The boys are all sitting by their respective lockers when the door slams open. One of their coaches walks in, clipboard in one hand and his cellphone in another. He stands by the door, looking at the screen with a furrowed brow, before turning his gaze to the members of the team. “Alright, boys! Once Kim gets in here, we have some things to discuss about the upcoming tournament.”

With that, Mr. Yoon returns to tapping at his phone screen, and everyone goes back to the conversation they were having before the interruption: cracking jokes at Jongdae’s expense about his long term girlfriend that he apparently has never introduced to any of them. Not even Chanyeol, and they’re roommates.

“Hey, hey!” Jongdae whines, his eyebrows furrowing sadly at their teasing. “I just like to keep my privacy.”

“Does she even exist?” Wonho jokes. He waggles his brows.

“Yes!” Jongdae says. He turns to Jongin. “Okay, change of topic. What about you, Jongin? Are you seeing anyone?”

“Nah,” Jongin says, shifting a little on the bench. 

“Have you dated before?” Chanyeol asks from the other side of Jongin.

Jongin shrugs. “Yeah, but the last person I dated was back in high school.” He keeps his tone as light and casual as possible. The last person he dated was a guy on their soccer team who he has no interest in contacting now, or possibly ever. 

At Jongin’s use of gender neutral language, Jongdae’s eyebrows raise a little and he exchanges a quick glance with Chanyeol. His mouth opens a little, maybe in surprise, maybe in understanding. Suddenly, Jongin feels nervous. He didn’t think anyone would pick up on him saying _person_ , instead of _girlfriend_ , but it looks like the two men next to him did. 

“Hey, that’s cool,” Chanyeol says. “Hope it wasn’t too nasty of a breakup.” 

Next to him, Jongdae nods in sympathy. 

“Yeah,” Jongin begins, hesitantly. “He wasn’t that nice of a guy.”

He watches their reactions closely, his heart palpitating. He could feel his palms getting sweaty, and he fights the itch to rub them against his pants in an attempt to dry them. He wasn’t planning on coming out to anyone on his team—sports teams weren’t particularly known for inclusivity and openmindedness—but if he isn’t reading Jongdae and Chanyeol wrong, they don’t fit into that mould. 

“We’ve all been there,” Chanyeol says. “That still sucks though. Sorry to hear that, buddy.”

At that, Jongin lets out a breath. Relief sets in on him, and he feels something deep and heavy inside of him lift up. A strange pressure that he hadn’t even fully realized was on him is gone, as if something had been crushing his chest and has just been removed.  
Jongdae must have seen the minute panic in his face, and he reaches out for a quick side hug.

“Don’t worry, dude. Can’t say this about everyone on the team, unfortunately, but me and Chanyeol? We have your back,” Jongdae says. 

Jongin sighs. “Thanks, guys. It means a lot. Really.”

The second basemen opens his mouth to say something in response, but before he can start, Mr. Kim walks in, holding a USB flash drive. The whole room falls silent, years of training and discipline kicking in at the sight at their head coach.

“As you know,” Mr. Kim began. “The Yon-Ko Games begin this weekend. As always, we’re up first on Friday.” He paces over to the monitor mounted on the far-end wall of the room and passes the USB drive to one of the assistant coaches to configure. “Baseball was cancelled last year due to the rain, but we were victorious the year before that. This year, we want to hold onto the victory.”

A video begins playing on the monitor. It’s a slightly grainy recording, obviously taken from quite a distance away. Jongin can easily make out the players dressed in red uniforms on the field—members of the Korea University team—and what appears to be members of the Hongik University team. The camera jolts a little, shuddering as the person filming adjusts the focus and zooms in on the sandlot, and the image sharpens ever so slightly.

“This was filmed during the Summer Championship game against Hongik University from a few months ago. KU won 8-3.”

Jongin squints a little at the monitor. “This was filmed this year? Why is the video quality so poor? Did they film with a fucking brick?” he whispers in Chanyeol’s direction.

“Kim Jongin! Park Chanyeol” The coach snaps. Jongin immediately straightens up, afraid. “I want you, as our battery, to keep an eye on their hitters. We’ll go over stats after and we can prepare our attack plan.”

Slightly relieved that they weren’t getting scolded for not paying attention, Jongin bows in acquiescence. 

He turns his attention to the monitor. Korea University already has a runner on second and one out. The third batter, he takes note, is most likely their best overall hitter—and as Jongin expects, he drives in a run from their leadoff man while making it to second base, himself. Their cleanup hitter follows up with bringing in another run, and Jongin can tell the Hongik University’s battery is getting agitated already.

Jongin continues watching the VOD, making notes and sharing comments with Chanyeol, who dutifully writes their observations down on the legal pad he keeps in his locker. Hongik University is a good team; they didn’t win the Summer Championship 2016 title for no reason. But Korea University plays smarter, and he can see why their coach is taking the upcoming game so seriously. 

The ninth and last hitter steps up to bat, and to Jongin’s surprise, he’s...absolutely _tiny _. Even from the grainy video quality, Jongin can make out a set of narrow shoulders and a small build. He couldn’t tell exactly how tall the pitcher was, and perhaps it was the camera angle doing him a disservice, but he finds himself staring at the video in surprise.__

“That’s their starting pitcher?” he asks Chanyeol.

“Yep, surprising isn’t it?”

Pitchers were typically tall, much like Chanyeol. Their height gave them advantage in stride and arm angles, and it’s unusual to see such a small pitcher. A starting pitcher, no less, too. He must have been the shortest one on the team.

There’s a member on the third base and so far, there still had only been one out. Just as Jongin expects, the small hitter bunts and while his teammate makes a run for the home plate, he sprints towards the first base.

He’s fast.

“He’s a little speed demon,” Chanyeol whispers. “And you can’t underestimate his pitches despite his size. Surprisingly annoying to play against. He’s my age, I think, or a year younger.”

Jongin stares at the video, at the small figure of Korea University’s last hitter and starting pitcher, standing on first base. He squints a little, trying to read through the grainy image to get a clearer look at the pitcher. Jersey #12, he notes distantly. _Huh_.

* * *

After the team meeting, Jongin trudges back to his dorm. Sure, he’s excited to play in Jamsil Stadium and it’s hard not to get caught up in the hype, but at the moment? He’s just thinking about taking a nap.

He fumbles through his backpack for his room keys, grimacing at the used tissue he left in there when he had a quick snack during his last lecture. When he enters the room, his roommate, Oh Sehun, is laying belly-down on his bed and tapping away rapidly at his phone.

Sehun’s a pretty cool roommate. Much like Jongin, he’s not too messy but not overly concerned with cleanliness either, but is generally pretty ambivalent about the state of their room. He intimidated Jongin at first, with his sharp eyebrows and piercing stare. As Jongin got to know him, however, he quickly realized how mischievous and witty Sehun could be. To make things even better, he came out to Jongin shortly after their first meeting—a relief to them both when they realized they were in good company with each other. He’s probably the closest friend Jongin has made at Yonsei so far.

“Yo,” his roommate says without sparing Jongin a glance.

Jongin tosses his bag at the foot of his bed and throws himself on top of the covers.

“Hey,” he says, slinging his arm to cover his eyes as he lets his brain and muscles unwind. “Texting Junmyeon?”

Junmyeon is Sehun’s boyfriend, someone he had met through one of his prerequisite classes for his Economics major. Sehun liked to joke that Junmyeon was the one loser upper-level student who procrastinated on completing his electives and now has to share a class with all first years.

“Nah,” Sehun replies. Jongin can still hear him typing something on this phone. “Texting a KU friend. He’ll be coming around sometime this week for the pre-games festival.”

“Fraternizing with the enemy? The Yonsei Gods will have your head,” Jongin jokes. 

From what he had heard from Chanyeol and Jongdae, it wasn’t uncommon for the visiting students from the rival university to attend just as many pre-tournament festival events as the hosting school. He was told to expect as many students dressed in red as there would be blue. 

They weren’t lying when they labeled the tournament the _Friendship_ Games.

“Shut it, you,” Sehun replies, monotonously. 

“How did you meet him?”

“At Junmyeon’s birthday. Do you remember Yixing? You met him when we went to see Junmyeon in _The Man Who Laughs_. His boyfriend, Baekhyun, is best friends with him and brought him to the birthday.”

Jongin hums and nods, not sure if Sehun is even looking.

“He’s cute,” Sehun says suddenly. 

“Don’t let Junmyeon hear you say that.” Jongin laughs.

He hears Sehun scoff. “We can find other people cute, we’re mature enough to know that. It’s not like we’re cheating on each other. Besides, that’s not what I meant. He’s _cute_ , I think you would like him.”

“No playing matchmaker,” Jongin warns. Over the summer, Sehun tried setting him up with one of his friends from high school. Some guy named Hwisoo. He was short and cute, which Jongin had to admit, is generally the kind of men he is attracted to. But he was weird. _Really_ weird.

But Sehun doesn’t deign him with a response. He hears bedsheets rustling as Sehun adjusts his position on the bed.

“Seriously, Sehun. I don’t want to go on another blind date with some guy who insists on sharing fries with me and then proceeds to pick up every fry in the bowl, study it closely, and then place it back down. That was kinda gross.” 

It really was. He wasn’t sure what Hwisoo had found wrong with the fries, but he certainly didn’t feel like eating them after his... _manhandling_ of them.

“Whatever, Jongin,” Sehun replies. “Your loss.”

* * *

As per tradition, a spirit week of sorts takes place the entire week leading up to Friday, the first official day of the Yon-Ko Friendship Games and game day for Jongin’s team.

By the time Thursday comes around, Jongin already feels as exhausted by the festivities as he is excited. The entire week had been filled with mobs of students boasting their respective school colours. He had been stuck in a crowded room the day before when someone started up the Yonsei cheer, and he hadn’t been able to get the _Akaraka!_ cries out of his head the entire night.

Today, though, is Clubs Day. The day Jongin had been most excited for because their coaches had given them the day off of practice.

Each major club, and some smaller ones, were setting up fundraising booths in the New Millenium Hall. Each club had their own fundraising efforts, and some clubs even prepared a little extra. He had overheard Minhyuk excitedly gabbing about the Cosplay Club’s maid café after his shift was completed. And last he had heard from Sooyoung, the Cheer Squad was even putting on a demo performance in advance of the tournament games. Students who had not yet joined a club were also given a chance to on this day.

Along with his other team members, Jongin had been asked to occupy the booth for two hours. He shares his shift with Wooshik and Hyunwoo, their outfielder and third baseman. His shift doesn’t begin until the late afternoon, and Jongin takes advantage of the late start to sleep in. Jongin firmly believes in fulfilling the very principle of sleeping without an alarm clock to force him awake.

He takes his time getting ready for the day, lavishly allowing himself a long, steamy shower in the floor’s washroom. He had been lazy with shaving the past few days, but he dutifully retrieves his razor and cleans up the stubble on his face. Minho had warned them that there would be event photography taking place throughout the week, and as one of the athletic teams participating in the games, they were bound to be captured through the camera lenses. He should look his best.

By the time he finishes his routine and returns to his room, Sehun had woken up and Jongin catches him munching on an apple while fixing his hair in their room’s floor-length mirror with one hand.

“Heading out soon?” Jongin asks. He has his wet towel wrapped around his waist and he hangs it up with a coat hanger before changing into a pair of dark wash jeans, a white v-neck, and his blue letterman jacket. Years of playing sports in a team has long stripped away any shyness surrounding nudity around others. 

“Yep,” Sehun says, drawing out and popping the last syllable. “Meeting up with Junmyeon and some friends. Ah—the one I told you about from KU.”

He laughs a little. “Wait. He’s coming to Clubs Day, of all days? It’s not like he can join any of the clubs and I doubt he wants to fundraise for our school.”

But Sehun only shrugs. “Well, you know.” He trails off uselessly, and continues preening in the mirror.

Typical Sehun response.

“Are you doing anything for the volleyball team?” Jongin asks as he blow dries his hair into style.

Sehun shakes his head. “They didn’t need everyone to help out so I’m just going to be chilling today.” He grabs his bag and stuffs his chapstick and keys into the front pocket. He starts heading for the door, but before he can leave, Jongin reminds him about his phone. It’s still sitting on his pillow.

“Dude, your phone. Don’t forget it.”

“Ah, shit. Thanks.” Sehun rushes to grab it before affectionately patting Jongin twice on the neck. “See ya later.”

He leaves the room, closing the door with a soft _snick_. Without his roommate there, Jongin hooks his phone up to the bluetooth speaker on his desk and plays some Blood Orange, singing softly under his breath as he continues to get ready.

By the time he leaves his room, it’s already nearing the afternoon. He heads towards Sareoga Shopping Center near his dorms and picks up an overpriced _gimbap_ from the mart and makes his way towards the Hall, where he will be meeting up with Chanyeol and Jongdae. They had been lucky enough to get paired up for a shift together and would be taking over in the afternoon, right before Jongin’s own shift.

Jongin finds Jongdae waiting for him at the entrance, and they both wait another five minutes before Chanyeol shows up, slightly out of breath. 

“Sorry! Woke up late,” he explains.

Inside the hall is a bustling crowd, surprisingly busy for how relatively early it is in the day. He assumes it’ll only get busier as the day wears on. Most booths have been set up already, but Jongin spots a few that are still wrestling with banners and wrangling their tablecloths for their booths. He’s glad he gets to skip the struggle of setting up. The duty had fallen onto Minho and Changmin.

They make their way through the hall, joining the sea of blue with the occasional student in red. He half-expects jeers and cajoling between the two schools, but most of the KU students here and repping their school are clearly having fun and chatting with the Yonsei students as well. 

On Jongdae’s request, they decide to visit the maid café, stopping at their team’s table to say hi to Minho and Changmin on the way. Jongin was worried that the table would have been swarmed, but mostly, the two seniors look as if they’re about to fall asleep in boredom. 

The café is as surreal as Jongin expected, and only slightly less embarrassing than he thought it would be. Jongdae, at the very least, tones down his excitement and behaves like a normal human being once they get seated.

Jongin orders a sandwich that seems to be a knockoff of the infamous _Inkigayo_ sandwich, strawberry jam and all, whereas his friends stick to omurice. The club did a great job with their event, even if the club members in various costumes has Jongin blushing up to his ears. It has a pretty nice set up—they managed to set up a decently-sized tent on the lawn and string up fairy lights just above a small gathering of tables covered in white tablecloths. Each table had its own tiny flower vase, and although the plate settings were paper and plastic, they were a charming pink. Even more importantly, however, the food they serve tastes surprisingly good. The single _gimbap_ he ate earlier had left him hungrier than full.

After finishing their food, Jongdae and Chanyeol leave for their turn at the booth. He only has two hours until it’s his turn to takeover, so he decides to wander around the hall until then. 

_Maybe I’ll run into Sehun_ , Jongin thinks.

* * *

He doesn’t.

The two hours pass by slowly, with Jongin meandering throughout the hall alone. He occasionally chats with some of the tables there, like the Fever Yonsei Dance Crew booth where he finds his friend, Taemin. But he grows tired of socializing, and hides away in the corner of one of the hallways until it’s time for his shift.

Wooshik and Hyunwoo are already standing by the table when Jongin arrives. They’re chatting with Jongdae and Chanyeol, who are packing up their belongings.

“Oh, Jongin, we were just talking about you. Your friend, Sehun, had came by earlier asking about you,” Chanyeol says when he spots him.

Jongin rolls his eyes. “I texted him asking where he was and he didn’t respond. Whatever, I’ll see him later anyway.”

“Wanna grab dinner after you’re done? We’re thinking hotpot.” Jongdae asks.

Jongin takes a moment to think it over. “Yeah, okay, sure. Just text me the address, I probably won’t remember where we’re going otherwise.” He turns towards to the other three. “Are you all going?”

Wooshik nods, and holds out a hand to fistbump Jongin.

“Sorry, got plans with my girlfriend already,” Hyunwoo says.

“You suck,” Chanyeol retorts. Hyunwoo whacks him on the head, and Chanyeol playfully lifts a threatening fist in return.

“Okay, get out of here,” Jongin says with a smile. “You’re getting in our way.”

After his friends leave, he takes in stock of their table. The flyers and posters advertising the game tomorrow has largely been left alone, but surprisingly, the homemade cupcakes and cookies they’re selling for charity fundraising is nearly all gone. They had started off the day with a couple of baker’s dozen, and it looks like there’s only about ten left in total.

About an hour into his shift, Jongin notices a familiar broad figure at the far end of the hall. His booth is set up in the opposite corner, but Sehun’s height and gait always draws his attention. He’s taller than most of the students milling around the hallway, and that makes him stand out a little. Jongin cranes his head a little to get a better look.

It looks like Sehun’s at the Yonsei Cheer Squad’s table, and he thinks he sees him talking to Kim Minseok, the leader of the squad.

He doesn’t see Junmyeon anywhere, or even Yixing, who Sehun had mentioned might join him today too. At first he thinks Sehun is alone, but then he shifts, and he notices another person next to Sehun. He was half-hidden at first by Sehun’s bulk, but Jongin sees now that his friend is chatting to this smaller man, and not Minseok like he had initially believed. 

Maybe one of the cheerleaders?

The other man is tiny. No wonder he couldn’t see him before, he was half the width of Sehun. From the back, all Jongin can see is his shaved head—a nicely shaped head, he absently notes—and a blue shirt. He must be Sehun’s KU friend. His gaze drifts down, towards the black skinny jeans the other man is wearing. It clings to his hips and round, thick thighs. He wants to wrap his hands around those thighs and _squeeze_. Even from the distance, Jongin can tell he has one hell of an ass too.

He’s hit with a wave of disappointment. If he’s the KU student Sehun was talking about, then that means he’s not one of the cheerleaders. _Too bad_ , Jongin thinks. He would have loved to see that ass and those thighs in the uniform. And then he berates himself for being such a creep to a total stranger.

“How much for a cupcake?” A voice suddenly interrupts his musing. Another student is standing in front of him, and must have been for awhile too, judging from her annoyed face. Next to him, his teammates are clearly busy helping other people.

Apologetically, Jongin hurries to explain the pricing and finishes the transaction. After she leaves, he looks for Sehun and his small friend again at the Cheer Squad’s table, but doesn’t see them. They must have left already. 

Too bad.

* * *

Night time has long fallen by the time Jongin heads back to his room after dinner and a round of drinks with his friends. They didn’t drink too much, since they’re playing against Korea University tomorrow, but Jongin had felt the effects from the _somaek_ as he was leaving the restaurant nonetheless. The brisk air does a wonderful job of sobering up Jongin, and although he feels exhausted from a long day of social interaction, his mind clears up as briskly walks towards his building on the north side of campus.

The stars in the Seoul sky are nothing compared to Suncheon, but Jongin finds himself admiring the endlessly dark skies. Campus is quieter at this time, and he basks in the slight reprieve. 

Sehun had texted him earlier, asking if he wanted to join him and his friends for some grub in Hongdae. Jongin has never been the type to ditch his friends, no matter how interested he was in another person, but he still wonders if Sehun’s petit friend had went, and if they returned to their dorm yet. 

Finally reaching his building, Jongin opts out of waiting for the notoriously slow elevator and bounds up the stairs to his room on the fifth floor. There’s a few people still chatting in the floor lounge, and it looks like someone is cooking a late dinner, so he stops by to say hi before he decides to return to his room.

But when he enters his room, there’s a stranger inside. Jongin barely suppresses a yelp at the figure sitting on Sehun’s bed, and only calms down when his brain processes who it is.

It’s Sehun’s friend from Korea University.

He’s still wearing his blue t-shirt tucked into black jeans. His head had snapped up when Jongin opened the door, and he’s sitting there now, his phone still in one hand from where he was playing with it and his mouth slightly agape in surprise. 

“I,” Jongin starts, fumbling with his words. He’s still standing awkwardly by the door with one hand on the handle. “Uh, hi. I’m Jongin? Sehun’s roommate.”

Sehun’s friend jolts into standing and he bows at Jongin. One small hand reaches up to rub awkwardly at the back of his neck, and Jongin is momentarily distracted with the thought of how it would feel to run his hands over the other male’s shaved head.

“Hello. I’m Kyungsoo. Sehun’s friend. He, um, we went out earlier and came back here to rest a little before I head back to my own school. But Junmyeon forgot his keys with Sehun? So he went out to give them back. He should be back soon.” 

The other man—Kyungsoo—rambles on, clearly feeling a little out of place. His voice is lower than Jongin had expected from such a tiny body, but it’s soft and soothing. Gentle.

“I’m so sorry for the intrusion,” he continues. He bows again at Jongin.

Jongin startles, finally moving away from the door. He bows back at Kyungsoo. “No, no, don’t worry. It’s totally cool, I don’t mind. Please, sit back down.” He gestures at Sehun’s bed, before sitting down on his own.

He glances at Kyungsoo. Up close, the smaller boy is even cuter than what Jongin had imagined. He has big, wide eyes and a cute, little nose, and the plushest lips Jongin has ever seen. He’s wearing glasses; thick, dark frames that accentuate the expressiveness of his eyes. His shaved head is somehow endearing on him, and only emphasizes the soft roundness of his face. 

Jongin kind of wants to pinch his cheeks and then test out the plushness of his lips. With his own lips.

“So, how do you find Yonsei so far?” He asks before mentally kicking himself. 

He has always been shy, but he has also always been pretty popular for the vast majority of his teenaged and young adult life. At the very least, he knew how to turn his charm on if he needed to. But around Sehun’s friend, around Kyungsoo, he feels like he has suddenly forgotten how a normal human being interacts with others. 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen even more, if that is even possible, as if he’s surprised that Jongin is attempting to talk to him still. Or maybe he’s surprised at how robotic Jongin is behaving. He hopes it’s not the latter.

“It’s good,” Kyungsoo softly replies. There’s a slight pause, his eyes shifting around the room, before he haltingly continues. “Um, it’s very pretty. The campus is so much closer to central Seoul, it’s very different from KU.”

“Oh, right. Your campus is in Anam, right? I heard that food is pretty cheap there at least.”

Kyungsoo perks up a little. “Yeah, there’s a lot of hidden gems for local hole-in-the-walls there! We’re a little isolated there, but I don’t mind it. I like the peacefulness.”

“Really? Do you have any restaurants you would recommend?”

The smaller man bites his lip, his teeth worrying his bottom lip a little as he thinks. “Maybe _Goreun Haetsal_? It’s only about a 20 minute train ride from campus and they have some of the best bunsik I’ve had. If you like Korean snack food as comfort food, they’re great for it.”

His voice is slow and steady as he describes the neighbourhood to Jongin, the small roads that connect to their main street and all the nooks and crannies he has found there so far in his two years of studying at Korea University. Kyungsoo answers all of Jongin’s questions patiently and earnestly, and Jongin finds himself drawn into the conversation with Kyungsoo. He has to lean in a little to hear Kyungsoo better, but he basks in the smoothness of his voice while Kyungsoo points out the merits of the various eating spots in the area. 

The other man seems more relaxed now, more in his element. He’s making small gestures with his hands as he talks, and Jongin can’t help but find everything about him just... _cute_.

He’s really, really cute.

Jongin relaxes his posture, hoping it makes him appear more friendly. More inviting. “That sounds amazing. I’ve been wanting to explore Anam for awhile. Would you want to meet up with me if I come to visit?”

Kyungsoo flushes a little. Jongin didn’t notice this before, but with the blooming red across the other man’s tanned skin, it brings out the freckles scattered across his round cheeks like constellations.

Jongin wonders if they’re natural or if they’re from exposure to the sun.

He wants to kiss them all regardless.

“I’d love to,” Kyungsoo replies. His voice is soft, but he’s smiling at Jongin. Just a small, close-lipped smile, but it bunches his cheeks up and crinkles his eyes and Jongin feels absolutely enamoured. 

“Maybe I can return the favour too. Is there anywhere else you’d like to see on campus that you didn’t get to go before?” 

“Well,” Kyungsoo says. “I wanted to see the baseball field today, but I didn’t get a chance to.”

For some reason, Jongin wasn’t that to be his answer.

“Are you a fan of baseball? Or do you play?”

Kyungsoo furrows his brows a little at Jongin’s question, tilting his head in confusion. “I—”

But he’s interrupted when the door slams open again, and Sehun walks in. He takes a single glance at both Jongin and Kyungsoo before quickly throwing a knowing look at Jongin. Then, he turns to look at Kyungsoo.

“Hey, sorry it took longer than it thought. It’s pretty late now, did you want to stay over tonight?”

Jongin isn’t sure how he feels about Kyungsoo staying over—what if Jongin snores or has horrible morning breath and no one ever mentioned it to him? But before he can fully process his thoughts, Kyungsoo stands up and starts gathering his things.

“Shit, no, I can’t. I have to be on campus early tomorrow morning—I better get going. Thank you, though, Sehun,” he says. He smiles fondly at the taller man, before bowing to Jongin again. “I’m really sorry to cut our conversation short, but it was really nice meeting you, Jongin. Let’s...let’s talk again soon, okay?” 

He punctuates his sentence with a shy grin, a fuller smile now. He has a gummy smile and small teeth and lips that turn heart-shaped and it’s maybe one of the most beautiful sights Jongin has ever seen.

Dumbly, Jongin only smiles back and nods at Kyungsoo.

After Kyungsoo leaves the room, Sehun sits down next to Jongin on his bed and mockingly places his hand on his shoulder.

“So, you still don’t want me to play matchmaker?”

Jongin glares at his friend, elbowing him in the ribs. “Shut the fuck u—oh fuck, I forgot to ask for his number.”

* * *

“I’m not giving you his number nor am I giving him _your_ number until you win tomorrow,” Sehun teases as he shuts off the light in their room, ready for bed.

“Why is this suddenly a game to you?” Jongin asks. He’s pouting, only a little. Sehun is probably just being a good friend, and is doing the right thing by not letting Jongin get distracted the night before a big game. 

But still.

“Go to sleep,” Sehun calls out from under his covers in a sing-song voice. The little shit. 

“Seriously though, Sehun. Ask him if he’s okay with me getting his number from you, please?”

Sehun laughs in response, and Jongin can imagine the way he’s scrunching his nose up even in the darkness. “Good, you better be respecting his boundaries. But yeah, I’ll ask. Tomorrow. Good night, Jongin.”

Jongin rolls his eyes. “Night, you bastard.”

* * *

It’s Friday, the first official day of the Yonsei-Korea University Friendship Games. 

His alarm rings at 6 AM, to both Jongin and Sehun’s dismay. Sehun, at the very least, gets to shove his pillow overtop his head and attempt to drown out the ringtone. Jongin is not so lucky, and he gets ready to arrive at their team’s locker room by seven. The Opening Ceremonies don’t start until 10 AM, but the baseball match is the first game of the day. They need to give themselves ample time to not only physically, but also mentally prepare themselves to play.

Even if it’s not an official tournament, their school pride is at stake. 

Or at least, that’s the speech their coach gives them as they all sat on the bench with their gear in hand. Despite the build up of the tournament being a serious game, Jongin isn’t too sure how many of them are taking this seriously—besides Minho, of course—and the atmosphere remains lighthearted on their bus ride to Jamsil Stadium despite the tense words from Mr. Kim. 

The Korea University team isn’t there yet when Jongin and his team arrives, and they waste no time filing into the field to begin their pregame warmups.

Jongin’s going over pitching strategies with Chanyeol when Korea University arrives. They’re already in their uniforms, caps pitched low to shield their eyes from the steadily rising sun. They march onto the field, and bow to Jongin’s team.

Distracted, he pauses mid-conversation and looks away from Chanyeol. His eyes automatically find #12. Jongin can’t see him well at first, his figure hidden near the back behind the taller players in his team. His baseball cap partly covers his face, and he’s angled slightly towards one of his teammates, nodding as he listens to him talk. 

But then he turns to face the front, and when Jongin gets a better glimpse at his face, he nearly drops his leg guard in shock. It’s Kyungsoo. He can make out his kissable lips and the round tip of his nose, even if he can’t see his eyes and freckles from his distance.

 _Kyungsoo_ is the ace of the Korea University baseball team.

Suddenly, Jongin recalls his conversations with their coaches and with Chanyeol, about starting pitcher with jersey #12, _Do Kyungsoo_. He feels a little like an idiot. As the catcher, he should have known. It’s his job to analyze their lineup, and clearly he failed to some extent.

But Kyungsoo’s golden skin makes sense. All the time he spent out on the field, under the blazing sun during the summer. The way his freckles must have bloomed under the sunlight during practice, across the bridge of his nose and his cheeks. He’s even tinier than Jongin had expected from the baseball player when their team had been reviewing the VODs, but he can make out the lean muscles now that he’s closer to him and not as distracted by his cute face. From Jongin’s angle, he can see how tiny his waist looks compared to the astoundingly round curve of his ass in his tight pants, and the way his thighs fill out the uniform well. 

He shakes his head. He needs to stop creeping on the poor guy. Especially not when they’re about to go against each other in the game. 

But then Kyungsoo catches sight of Jongin, and he smiles the shyest of smiles. His lips quirk up in a grin and he dips his head down, ears turning just the slightest shade of pink. His eyes flutter shut for a moment as he waves, just a small gesture, to Jongin.

And _fuck_ , if that isn’t enough to get Jongin’s heart beating a little faster. He is so cute. 

Jongin manages to return the wave—just barely—and then their team is called to begin their batting practice.In between their own team drills and warm ups, Jongin doesn’t get a chance to talk to Kyungsoo.

The opening ceremony is only an hour long, but it’s clear it’s where most of the budget goes. There are fireworks, choreographed cheers from both teams and the cheerleading squads, guest performances by celebrities—all of which gets the crowd cheering and moving in their seats. Kim Minseok stands on the stage in his costume, screaming _YON-SEI VIC-TOR-Y_ as he leads the cheerleaders in dance.

The crowd is _enormous_ , more than what Jongin was ever expecting. He doesn’t see a single empty seat in the stadium, and the stands are filled with an ocean of red and blue. Their screams are so loud that Jongin feels overwhelmed. 

And then the game begins.

As the visiting team, it’s Korea University who bats in the top half of the inning. Jongin steadies his breath, inhales and exhales steady and slow, in and out, and shoots a smile at Chanyeol who positions himself at the mound.

Korea University’s leadoff hitter steps up to the bat—a southpaw, great bat control, discipline, and a propensity for stealing bases—his gaze hard and sure, focused on Chanyeol. Jongin exhales, and signals two fingers, and then one. _Fastball, away_. Chanyeol nods, his arm winding up, coiling with unreleased energy, before he releases.

 _Smack_.

It lands cleanly in his glove, and Jongin gives a grin of satisfaction. He tunes out the crowd, the ongoing dancing from their cheer squad, and focuses on the game. 

By the time they reach the bottom of the first inning, Korea University scratches two runs off of Yonsei. Jongin isn’t breathing uneasily yet, and a nod from his battery partner confirms he’s keeping his cool still as well.

It’s time for offense.

Jongin is the sixth batter in the lineup, so he gets some time to observe the opposing team and their plays. He’s excited to see Kyungsoo’s pitching in action, to understand and dissect how such an unassuming man has made it as the ace of Korea University’s baseball team.

As he observes their battery, he makes notes on his pitching habits, the way he swings his arm, how he shifts the weight onto his left leg, the way he has to squint a little when reading his catcher’s signals. 

When it’s time for Jongin to step up to the plate, Yonsei has a runner on first and third, and one out. Jongin’s hoping to drive in their third run with his hit, and he fixes his grip on his bat as he positions himself across from Kyungsoo. He’s not the most powerful hitter, nor is he the fastest runner, but he’s an RBI for a reason and his ability to analyze the situation and play accordingly is unmatched on the team.

He’s their catcher for a reason.

But Kyungsoo, too, has to be Korea University’s ace for reason. Jongin watches him now, his mouth set in a tight line, as Kyungsoo briefly pauses to adjust his baseball cap, pulling it further down on his head. Standing like this, in the batter’s box, he finally gets a good look at Kyungsoo. 

He was originally intrigued by Kyungsoo, even before he realized how cute he found him—and that was because of his small stature. Staring at him now on the field, Jongin finds that that hasn’t changed. No matter how he looks at it, Kyungsoo’s build is atypical for baseball players, and especially for pitchers. He must be 166 cm at maximum, with shoulders that are most likely half of Jongin’s own.

But despite that, he doesn’t look out of place on the pitcher’s mound.

His first impression of Kyungsoo when they met last night was that the other boy was quiet, shy, maybe even a little nervous to be talking to Jongin. But here, standing under the sun and staring straight into Jongin’s eyes, he looks confident. Sure of himself, like he’s exactly where he belongs.

And Jongin has no doubts, now, that he’s right. That there’s no one else more suited than Kyungsoo on their team to be their starting pitcher.

Even with the shadow cast upon his face by his cap, Jongin can make out his brown eyes that blaze golden under the sunlight. His lush lips are set downwards, and he looks serious. Even as he squints slightly as he listens to his catcher, Jongin can see the intensity. The focus.

Kyungsoo winds up. His arm bends backwards, joints shifting flexibly as he moves. He raises his leg up, perpendicular to the ground. His eyes narrow towards Jongin, and even in the midst of his own focus, Kyungsoo strikes him as absolutely beautiful.

Jongin tenses. This is it. He’s going to see, first hand, how the ace of KU pitches.

And then, Kyungsoo’s arm snaps downward, his hips whipping into a sharp pivot as he lets the ball fly towards Jongin, and Jongin barely even gets a chance to fully process how _flexible_ Kyungsoo must be before he swings—

—and misses.

He hisses out a breath. The ball had snapped towards him and then, unexpectedly, dropped severely in a downward break before connecting with a loud _smack_ in their catcher’s mitt.

He readies his bat again. Jongin can hear the brief hushed silence from his teammates before they pick up their calls again, yelling encouragement at Jongin. He pushes their cheers to the back of his mind, along with the roaring crowd in the stands who are still singing along to the cheer squad. He focuses on only Kyungsoo.

And Kyungsoo’s smirking at him now, his lips quirked just the slightest at the corner. His eyes seem to have a fire ignited in them, and he lifts his leg high up in the air again, his arm bending back and out of sight for Jongin. He has no idea what to expect from the smaller pitcher, but he’s captivated by Kyungsoo’s form.

Once again, the ball breaks suddenly and falls sharply in a downward motion that has Jongin swinging and missing. It lands cleanly in the catcher’s mitt.

It’s a forkball, Jongin realizes, in awe. His control must be impeccable.

He has two strikes now, and Jongin adjusts his cap, setting it further back on his head, before taking up position again. He’s watched Kyungsoo’s pitching twice now from this distance, and he’s anticipating the third.

He raises his foot again, contorting his body into his incredible pitching form, and swings his arm down.

The ball wooshes towards Jongin at a backbreaking pace, and but this time he’s ready for it, for the sharp fall of the ball, and he swings.

And it hits—directly into the mitts of an outfielder.

“Out!” the empire calls.

When he gets back to the dugout, Chanyeol is there to pat him on the back. “Better than you expected, huh?”

Jongin nods, but he isn’t paying attention to his battery partner. He rewinds the moment in his mind, runs over Kyungsoo’s pitching once more in his head, his unexpected forkball, his form as he’s winding up, legs raised high, the way he’s able to so flexibly but sharply pivot his hip.

He’s bewitched by the beauty of his pitching, and he finds himself spending the rest of the game watching even closer as Kyungsoo pitches.

At the bottom of the ninth inning, Korea University claws their way out from a deficit with three runs, sealing their 8-6 victory. But the crowd doesn’t lose their cheers, the songs never ending even as the visiting university’s cheer squad takes over with “ _Yonsei, you suck!_ ”

It’s a loss on the home front, yet Jongin can’t seem to feel too disappointed. The image of Kyungsoo’s pitching is seared into his eyelids, a sight he can’t look away from, and all he can think about is how he’d _die_ for a chance to catch his pitches.

* * *

After their post-game debrief and a quick shower, Jongin manages to catch Kyungsoo as he’s leaving his own locker room. Kyungsoo’s changed into a plaid shirt that he tucked into worn blue jeans that fit a little loose on him. The jeans are cuffed, rolled up a few times to accommodate for his shorter legs.

Although Jongin, himself, personally prefers to have his clothes tailored to fit his body, he can’t help but find Kyungsoo’s easy fix endearing.

Jongin straightens up from the wall he’s leaning against. He scrubs a hand through his unstyled hair, still slightly damp from his shower.

“Hey,” he says.

Kyungsoo jumps and turns towards Jongin. When he realizes who it is, he smiles, his gums peeking through just slightly. “Hi.”

“Congratulations on the win,” Jongin says. He walks up closer to Kyungsoo, noticing how much he towers over the other. Without thinking much about it, he bends over slightly to get a closer look at him. “You played amazingly.”

If Kyungsoo notices Jongin’s shift in stance to accommodate for their height difference, he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he looks happy at Jongin’s compliment, and his grin flitters into something a little smaller, more bashful. 

“Thank you. You as well, as always, Mr. Kim Jongin.” He says his name slowly, enunciates each syllable carefully, like it’s something to be savoured.

Jongin wants to kiss him.

“So that’s why you mentioned last night about wanting to see the baseball field. I was wondering!” He says, excitement lighting up his tone. “Did you know who I was then?”

At this, the shorter man looks a little confused. He tilts his head to the side. “Of course? I always study the other team when we play matches. It would be ridiculous if I didn’t know who their starting lineup was.”

“Oh.” Jongin feels a sense of shame creep up in him. He chuckles a little, and rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I’m an idiot, huh?”

Kyungsoo laughs, bright giggles erupting from his heart-shaped mouth as his eyes close into crescents. “It’s okay. You know me now, don’t you?”

Jongin nods, maybe a little too eagerly. “Your pitching, it’s...” he pauses, hesitant, before steeling his resolve. “I couldn’t look away, not even once. It’s beautiful.”

Kyungsoo laughs again, this time quietly, and his head tilts downwards as he shakes his head humbly in response. Jongin can see his ears turning red again, and he can’t help but be charmed by how easily the other man blushes. 

“No, I mean it,” Jongin insists. He takes another step closer. “Do you want to...maybe hang out with me for the rest of the games? If you want to?”

Kyungsoo grins, bright and happy and absolutely _breathtaking_. “Yeah,” he says. “I’d love to.”

* * *

There are two more games on Friday: basketball at two and hockey at four. He, along with Kyungsoo, tag along to both games together. They both bail out of team plans, and neither of them get too much flak for it—it’s not uncommon to let loose a little during the annual competition, and the two schools are friends as much as they are rivals.

On Saturday, they do the same and they both show up in their representative school colours at the rugby and soccer games in the afternoon.

“We’re like a modern day Romeo and Juliet,” Jongin jokes at one point during the day, referring to their differing school colours—just to tease Kyungsoo a little, and to see if he’s been reading the signals right.

And Kyungsoo doesn’t disappoint. He flushes, glowing pink on his tanned skin all the way from his freckled cheeks and down to his nape. But he smiles the littlest, most pleased smile that Jongin has seen on him yet and leans into Jongin’s bulk. He reaches down and fits his smaller hand in Jongin’s.

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo replies. 

It’s in this slow-burn way over the next few days that Jongin gets to know Kyungsoo more, beyond his mesmerizing pitching style and fetching smiles. He gets to know how earnest Kyungsoo is, how seriously he approaches his ambitions and goals. But he also learns about his quiet sense of humour, the deadpan way he sometimes snarks when he’s in the right mood for it. How gently he speaks to Jongin, but how he’s not afraid to push back when Jongin teases a little too much. How surprisingly touchy he is, and the way he seeks out comfort in Jongin’s hand and intertwines their fingers for a quick squeeze when he’s sure no one is looking.

It feels a little silly, becoming so enamoured with someone else so quickly. But how could he not? When Kyungsoo is so incredibly talented, with a forkball that could kill and a knack for hand-eye coordination. But even more importantly, Jongin grows fond of how sweet he is, how considerate of he is of Jongin’s needs without trespassing his own boundaries, and his unfailing patience.

Sehun had pegged him right when he thought Kyungsoo would be his type. He really, really likes Kyungsoo.

* * *

“I told you that you would like him,” Sehun says. He has a smug grin painted on his face, and Jongin would feel a stronger urge to wipe it off his handsome face if his excitement didn’t outweigh his annoyance. 

It’s Train Day; the day students and alumni from both schools gather in Sinchon, Seoul’s university hub, and celebrate the end of the Games. With drinks. A lot of them.

Kyungsoo had told him earlier that he had victory celebrations with his team, a tradition that even Jongin wouldn’t dare skipping out on, but he promised he would meet up with Jongin and Sehun later.

They’re sitting at _Izakaya Musa_ , a popular spot for students in Sinchon known for their all-you-can-drink deals on soju and beer. During the Friendship Games, however, they handed out free drinks like candy. He had dragged Sehun along, the other boy whining the whole day about how Junmyeon has plans until later that evening and that Jongin owes him a drink or two for introducing him to Kyungsoo. 

Even though he didn’t, not really. 

They had only been at the restaurant for an hour before Kyungsoo arrives. He has his Korea University t-shirt on again, tucked in neatly into his trousers. The pants make him look a little like an old man, and Jongin feels the slightest urge to put him in his pocket. 

Jongin wonders if he’s more buzzed than he realized if even Kyungsoo’s fashion sense makes him feel _things_. Warm and fuzzy things.

“Hi,” Kyungsoo says, sweetly, craning his neck to look up at both Sehun and Jongin with his wide, round eyes. He gives Sehun a side hug, wrapping his arms around Sehun’s torso for easier access. Sehun takes the opportunity to tug Kyungsoo closer and drapes himself over the smaller man.

“Hi hyung. Thank god you’re here, Jongin is such a bore.”

Jongin rolls his eyes. “You’re lucky I kept you company while you wait for Junmyeon to be free.”

Sehun sticks his tongue out childishly in response, and Kyungsoo laughs at them both. He pets Sehun’s hair, though he has to reach on tiptoes to do so.

Jongin smiles as he watches the two friends’ affection. He would have been jealous if he didn’t know how in love Sehun is with Junmyeon, and how fond he is of Kyungsoo and their friendship.

“How was your party?” Jongin asks Kyungsoo once he finally sits down next to them. He’s holding a bottle of soju and he motions at Sehun and Jongin to hold their glasses up so he can pour them a shot each.

“It was good, but our captain drank too much. Our catcher had to put him away in a taxi and send him back to the dorms.”

“Sounds like how Train Day usually goes for most people. This isn’t your first Train Day, right?”

Kyungsoo nods. He rests his chin in his hand, smiling at Jongin as he speaks. “Yep, my second. But we hosted last year, and had a literal train of people going around bars and getting drinks.”

Jongin tries to imagine Kyungsoo joining a train of people, jeering loudly for drinks as they crowd around the neighbourhood surrounding their campus, and fails. Kyungsoo must see the look on Jongin’s face, because he just laughs and rolls his eyes playfully.

“No, I didn’t join in,” he confirms. “I did get pretty drunk still though.”

“Are you drunk now, hyung?” Sehun says, throwing his long arms over Kyungsoo’s shoulder again. 

Sehun’s definitely tipsy.

The pitcher shakes his head and pats Sehun’s hand fondly. “Not yet.”

“We need to fix that, here—” Sehun says, and he pours another shot for Kyungsoo, who downs it readily. 

As the night goes on, Kyungsoo takes it upon himself as the eldest in the group to keep the drinks going. Although he stops halfway through their third shared bottle of soju to sip at his drink instead of shooting it down, Jongin can tell by the way he grows even softer and relaxed, although no less steady, that he has a good buzz going on.

Jongin’s not faring much better either, having already started before Kyungsoo arrived that evening. Although his mind still feels alert, he knows he’s definitely not sober by the way his eyes keep catching on every detail he notices about Kyungsoo. All he can focus on is the sheen of Kyungsoo’s lips after each shot and his hot gaze on Jongin. 

Of the three of them, Sehun is somehow the worst despite being the tallest. He takes up a permanent position leaning on Kyungsoo, squishing the other man into the table a little bit. He’s dozes off against his shoulder, and Jongin and Kyungsoo both leave him be. 

Kyungsoo speaks a little quieter to not disturb Sehun, and it forces Jongin to lean in even closer to hear him. He likes it though—it feels nice. Intimate.

It’s nearing midnight when Junmyeon tumbles into the restaurant. He had originally planned on joining them, but upon seeing how far gone Sehun is, he decides to take Sehun home.

And then it’s just the two of them.

Kyungsoo yawns, his hand coming up to cover his mouth and his eyes scrunching shut. “Sleepy,” he says. He curls his hand into a small fist and rubs at his eyes. In his buzzed state, Jongin has to work twice as hard to not coo at the other man.

“Do you want me to get a taxi for you to get back to your dorm?” 

“No,” Kyungsoo says. His bottom lip juts out into a pout. “Can I stay at yours?”

Jongin assures Kyungsoo it’s fine, but he feels his heartbeat picking up a little, but he forces himself to calm down. It’s not a big deal, and nothing is going to happen. They’re both too drunk, and he would never initiate anything when they’re less than sober.

They decide to walk back since his dorm is only about twenty minutes away from where they were drinking. It’s a little colder, now that it’s night, and Kyungsoo curls himself close to Jongin as they walk. He doesn’t take his hand—they’re still out in public and there’s still too many students milling around on a Saturday night—but Jongin can feel the warmth of his body heat even through the barrier of his own shirt.

Back at the dorm, Jongin lends Kyungsoo a toothbrush and a change of clothes. His shirt is oversized on him, falling down to his thighs and loose around the neck. But Kyungsoo looks soft and cuddly, and comfortable.

Despite complaining about being tired, Kyungsoo asks Jongin if he wants to watch a movie before they fall asleep, and Jongin sets his laptop down on the middle of his bed. Kyungsoo’s leaning against the wall next to him as Jongin loads up a Japanese film about two truck drivers learning how to operate a small ramen restaurant upon Kyungsoo’s request.

It’s cliché, but Jongin can’t help but feel more enraptured by the other’s presence throughout the whole movie. The light reflecting from the laptop dances off Kyungsoo’s face, and Jongin’s eyes trace the freckles dotted on his skin and the way he subconsciously pushes his bottom lip into a pout.

Sometime during the movie, either him or Jongin, or maybe both, started moving closer to the other. Jongin can feel Kyungsoo’s arm grazing his, the warmth shared between their two bodies, the soft inhalations and exhalations from the other.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo turns to look at him.

He’s wearing his glasses again, and even through the lens, Jongin can see the golden warmth that was so attractive to him when the other was standing on the pitcher’s mound.

His eyes drops down, to his mouth.

Jongin doesn’t know who leans in first, but then Kyungsoo is kissing him, right on the lips. He gently coaxes Jongin’s mouth open, his lips soft and supple, and they share a gentle, open- mouthed kiss. They both linger there, their eyes closed and savouring in the feeling, before Kyungsoo draws back.

He takes in the sight of Kyungsoo with half-lidded eyes and spit-slick mouth parted open, and this time, Jongin is the one who dives in and takes Kyungsoo’s lip. This time, the kiss is hard and messy. He licks into Kyungsoo’s mouth, and he can hear his muffled moan as he sucks on his tongue.

Again, Kyungsoo pulls back. He’s breathing harder now, and he’s staring into Jongin’s eyes, searching for _something_ —Jongin isn’t sure what—but he must find it because the next thing he knows, Jongin feels Kyungsoo shove at him slightly before he climbs into his lap and straddles him. He feels the weight of Kyungsoo settling on his thighs, and he groans, hands automatically coming up to rest on the other’s waist.

Jongin feels a sense of amazement rush through again when he realizes his hand nearly wraps around the other’s waist. 

But then he doesn’t get a chance to think much more than that because Kyungsoo is kissing him again, hot and dirty, thrusting his tongue in his mouth. Jongin gives it back twice as hard, savouring the other’s moans as he trails his mouth down Kyungsoo’s neck, sucking hard at the soft and tender skin there. Kyungsoo arches his neck up, trembling when he feels Jongin bite lightly before soothingly licking over the sting. He grinds down hard, his plush ass gyrating onto Jongin’s rapidly hardening cock, as Jongin’s hands move from his waist, down to his hips.

“More,” Kyungsoo whispers wetly into Jongin’s ear, nibbling at the lobe. He grabs Jongin’s hands from where they rest on his hips and moves them, placing them on his ass. The meat of his ass fills up his palms so perfectly, and Jongin can’t help but knead at the firm flesh there. He grips hard at the swell of his ass and uses it as leverage to push Kyungsoo harder down against his lap.

Kyungsoo _moans_.

It’s the hottest noise, but it also has Jongin coming back to his senses. He halts in his ministrations on Kyungsoo’s neck and pulls back. His breaths come out heavy, and it takes him all of his restraint to stop, to pause and look—just look—at the pitcher.

Kyungsoo’s glasses are askew now, two spots of red high on his cheeks. His freckles stand out even more with the blush and his mouth is red and swollen. Jongin aches to kiss him again.

He can’t, though. As much as he’d love to continue what they started, they both had too much to drink that night. Even if his mind feels clear now, he doesn’t want to risk either of them making a decision that they can’t fully consent to.

So, he pulls back, ignores the uncomfortable pressure in his pants. 

“God, I...I want to continue. But we really shouldn’t,” Jongin says. His hand comes up to cradle Kyungsoo’s round face, thumb tracing over those lovely freckles. “I think we shouldn’t do this unless we’re sober.”

Kyungsoo leans his face into Jongin’s touch. He’s still flushed red and panting slightly, but he nods. Jongin can tell he’s disappointed.

“You’re right,” Kyungsoo says. He clambers off of Jongin’s lap, looking mildly embarrassed. 

“Let’s talk tomorrow?” Jongin asks. He grabs Kyungsoo’s hand and gives it a comforting squeeze. It earns him a smile, and Jongin savours it. 

“Okay,” he replies, softly.

“Do you want to sleep in Sehun’s bed?”

Kyungsoo blushes again. “I can if you want me to, but if you’re okay with it, we can share your bed.”

Jongin smiles. “No, I’d like that.”

* * *

Surprisingly, it’s Jongin who wakes up first. He lets himself luxuriate in the moment, keeping his eyes closed as he enjoys the feeling of Kyungsoo’s body pressed up against his.

Sometime during the night, they must have shifted, and he must have rolled over and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy. He’s tucked up against Jongin’s chest now, and Jongin can feel the slow rise and fall of his chest from where his arm rests. 

He allows himself a few more moments of cuddling with Kyungsoo before he disentangles from the other man to brush his teeth and wrestle with his hair. He’s not usually a morning person, preferring instead to sleep in as late as he gets to on his days off, but he’s glad for it today. 

When he returns from the washroom, Kyungsoo is still asleep. He looks peaceful, with his round cheeks smushed into the pillow and his long eyelashes casting a shadow on his freckled skin. His lips are parted and he’s breathing gently. 

He shifts, suddenly, rolling over on his back. The noise Jongin made when he came in must have woken him up, because Kyungsoo stretches his arms over his head and groans, low and deep, as he blinks himself awake. Jongin has to drag his eyes away from the long line of neck, and up to Kyungsoo’s sleepy eyes.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Jongin says. He takes a seat at the edge of his bed and run a comforting hand over the bristles of Kyungsoo’s shaved head. Kyungsoo presses into his touch and makes a small noise. He reminds Jongin of a little kitten. 

“Good morning,” he responds, the words partly swallowed up by a yawn that takes over. He rubs at his eyes, and rolls over to get a better look at Jongin. He’s smiling into the pillow, and there are crease lines in his face from sleep, but Jongin thinks he has never woken up to anything prettier than Kyungsoo as he is right now, sleepy and all soft and affectionate.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Mhm.” He props himself up with one elbow, and shifts over until he can hook his chin over Jongin’s shoulder. “Did you brush your teeth already?”

“Yeah,” he says. He pets Kyungsoo’s head again, feeling the shorn hair under his fingertips. It feels nice. 

“Mmm, okay. I’ll go do that too then.” Kyungsoo slowly pulls himself out of bed, sleep still evident in his movements. Jongin watches him trudge to the washroom with fondness.

When he gets back, he sits next to Jongin on the bed. He pulls him closer, and then, Kyungsoo kisses him.

Jongin closes his eyes, pressing deeper into the kiss. They kiss slowly at first, both relishing in the moment, exchanging soft kisses under the warmth of the morning sun’s rays coming through his bedroom window. Kyungsoo’s hands come up to cup Jongin’s face as he tilts his head to get better access to Jongin’s lips.

Pulling back, Jongin grabs hold of Kyungsoo’s hand, and he presses small kisses to each of his fingertips, to the palm of his hand that so strongly throws pitches, to the delicate bone of his small wrists. He uses his grip on his hand and leans back against the bed, pulling Kyungsoo on top of him. Leaning up, he takes Kyungsoo’s lips again, and licks languidly into his mouth.

“Do you want this?” Jongin asks in between kisses. He rolls them over so he’s on top of Kyungsoo now, and takes in the sight of the other man laid out underneath him. Kyungsoo’s eyes are bright and wide, and he’s smiling up at Jongin with the sweetest smile that deserves another kiss.

“Yes,” Kyungsoo breathes out, quiet.

And so Jongin leans in to kiss him once more, and then again to the freckles scattered across his nose bridge. Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter shut, and Jongin can’t help but feel an ache at his heart at how beautiful he looks with his freckled face and rosy cheeks, how soft he is even with a shaved head and a hand full of callouses from the sport. 

Jongin wants to protect him, keep him safe forever.

He moves down, pressing delicate kisses down the smooth, long line of his neck. He pauses at his pulse point and sucks, _hard_ , and savours the soft sound that spills from Kyungsoo’s lips. His hands move to play with the hem of his t-shirt, questioning.

Kyungsoo nods.

Slowly, Jongin removes Kyungsoo’s shirt, enjoying the way his skin is slowly revealed to Jongin’s gaze. His skin is milky and pale, smooth and unmarred, and he can see the distinct tanlines from where Kyungsoo has protected his skin from the sun during practice. The flush on Kyungsoo’s cheeks have extended downwards now, from Jongin’s careful attention to his body, and he presses yet another kiss to the reddened skin by his collarbone.

“You’re so beautiful,” Jongin whispers, reverent, and Kyungsoo makes another delicious, small noise at the praise. 

Jongin turns his attention on his nipples, stiffened under the cool morning air, and rubs a calloused finger over the buds. Kyungsoo jolts, as if an electric current has run through him, stiffening for the barest of seconds before he melts under Jongin’s touch.

Noting his response, Jongin thumbs at his nipples again, pinching them lightly before rolling them between his fingers. Kyungsoo’s moaning now, and he throws an elbow over his mouth to muffle the noises escaping from his mouth, even as his back arches into Jongin’s touch.

“You’re incredible,” Jongin says, and Kyungsoo gets no time to respond because the taller man leans down, hot breath swathing over Kyungsoo’s chest as the only warning before Jongin sucks one of his buds into his hot, wet mouth.

This time, Kyungsoo can’t hold back his moans. He’s bucking his hips up into Jongin’s, and Jongin can feel the hard press of Kyungsoo’s cock against his hip through the flimsy sweatpants Jongin had lent him the night before.

Jongin sucks harder, his tongue laving over the sensitive bud while his other hand plays with Kyungsoo’s neglected nipple.

“F- _fuck_!” Kyungsoo cries out, pushing his chest desperately further into Jongin. He mewls as Jongin continues playing with his buds, crying out as he pinches them harshly before soothing them with another lick. “ _Ah_!”

Jongin releases his nipples, and props himself up to get another look at Kyungsoo. His nipples are glistening with spit, stiff and rosy from the attention. He feels his cock throbbing in his shorts, and he presses a hand down onto his groin to relieve the pressure.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo whispers, his eyes bright and feverish and mouth bitten pink. He glides his own slender hand down his chest, playing with his nipples, before sliding further down and to the hem of his pants. “Please, I want to feel you in me.”

At his words, Jongin groans out loud, eyes sliding shut. He nods, almost desperately, and slips his own shirt off of his head. 

Immediately, Kyungsoo starts tracing a hand over Jongin’s skin, fingers dancing along firm muscles. He’s breathing heavily, his eyes drinking in the sight of his body. Jongin knew he looked good, he always packed on muscle well. But it was such a turn on to see how much it affected Kyungsoo.

And then, the smaller man’s hand drifts downwards, and while staring into Jongin’s eyes, he starts palming at the hard line of Jongin’s cock through his shorts. He slips his hand down his shorts, pushing past his briefs, and wraps his hand around Jongin’s cock, pumping him slowly with small movements that are constrained by the fabric of his shorts.

Jongin _moans_. He bucks his hips into Kyungsoo’s hand, once, and then his fingers scrabble to pull his shorts down to shuck them aside. 

“Can I?” he asks, moving to do the same to Kyungsoo. The other man nods, digging his heels into Jongin’s bed and lifting his hips up so he can pull his pants down, his cock bobbing free and slapping against his stomach.The sweatpants tangle around Kyungsoo’s feet, and Jongin swears softly as he grapples with the mess of fabric for a brief second before he successfully undresses Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo giggles at Jongin’s struggles—a sweet, little sound that ignites a sense of adoration in his heart. 

It’s clear that Kyungsoo is an athlete, but his tummy still has a cute pudge of softness despite the toned leanness of the rest of his body, a fact that Jongin _loves_. He watches the shift of muscles under his smooth skin, and his eyes hungrily take in each newly exposed patch of skin on his body. 

He wants to worship Kyungsoo’s legs in particular. They’re smooth—and Jongin wonders whether or not the other man waxes or if they’re naturally hairless—and pale. His knees are a little knobby and his ankle is as delicate and thin as his wrists. But his thighs. His _thighs_.

They’re _thick_ , lush, and Jongin wants to bury his face between them for the rest of his life. Years of playing baseball seems to have gone entirely to Kyungsoo’s bottom half, and the plushness of his thighs and firmness of his round ass has Jongin praying to a God he isn’t sure he believes in.

He gives into the urging he felt when he first saw Kyungsoo, and he wraps his hand around both thighs and _squeezes_. Kyungsoo moans at the sensation, and Jongin can’t help but kiss at the soft skin of his inner thighs. He moves up towards Kyungsoo’s cock, and he sucks in the head of his throbbing length between his mouth, bobbing his head as he takes Kyungsoo further into his mouth.

With a particularly hard suck, Kyungsoo clenches his eyes shut, clawing at the sheets as he strains from bucking up into the warmth of Jongin’s mouth. His mouth falls open, and he lets out tiny gasps that shoot straight to Jongin’s cock.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo gasps out, hand gripping at Jongin’s hair.

He pulls off with a gentle kiss to the head of Kyungsoo’s cock before moving back up, pressing soft kisses up his body, until he can capture Kyungsoo’s lips once more. He fits his body over Kyungsoo’s, positioning himself just right so that their cocks are rubbing up against each other, and he grinds down. 

They both groan. Kyungsoo bucks up into the sensation, while Jongin grinds down, rocking into Kyungsoo with a languid rhythm that has Kyungsoo crying out. He reaches down and pinches at his nubs again, smoothing his thumb over them.

“Look at you,” Jongin murmurs, voice all soft and fond. “You’re amazing. So beautiful, under me like this.” 

Kyungsoo’s breathing quickens at his words, confirming Jongin’s suspicion that he reacts strongly to praise. His hips picks up the pace, and he’s moaning loudly now, head thrown back into Jongin’s bedsheets.

“P-Please,” he gasps, grabbing hard onto Jongin’s biceps. His beautiful cries has Jongin pulling back, and Kyungsoo’s hips buck up at the loss. 

But then Jongin is sliding his hands over Kyungsoo’s thighs, pressing his fingers into the meat there, before sliding down to his knees and spreading them wider. He then wraps one hand around Kyungsoo’s ankle, noticing how his hand completely envelopes it, and lifts one leg onto his shoulder. He presses another delicate kiss to the bone of his ankle.

His fingers slip down past Kyungsoo’s thighs, along the curve of his ass, and down onto the sensitive core of his body, rubbing at Kyungsoo’s puckered rim with a dry finger.

“Can I?” he asks, a little breathlessly. He feels his hole fluttering under his touch, and his cock throbs at the thought of being sheathed inside Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo moans, helpless at Jongin’s touch. “ _Yes_ , please, yes.”

For once, Jongin is grateful for the small dorm room, and of Kyungsoo’s flexibility, as he folds his body nearly in half as he reaches into his bedside drawer for lube and a condom. Kyungsoo moves easily with Jongin, his legs bending back smoothly.

He slicks his fingers up, warming the lube between his fingers, before pressing his index finger into Kyungsoo’s searing heat. His finger sinks in slowly, his walls clamping down hard on his digit, and he thrusts in and out. Kyungsoo is making soft, gasping noises as Jongin adds a second finger, scissoring carefully. Little punctured noises escape him helplessly and he grinds back onto Jongin’s hand, mouth parted in pleasure.

Jongin pulls his fingers out, and circles three fingers round the pink rim, relishing in the desperate little cries as Kyungsoo tries to push back down onto Jongin’s finger. He doesn’t tease too long, and he sinks three fingers into the slick warmth of Kyungsoo’s heat. He curls his finger just _so_ , pressing insistently onto his prostate with every thrust. 

Kyungsoo’s squirming on his fingers now—body moving to take in Jongin’s fingers faster, harder—but Jongin maintains a sedate pace. He adds a fourth finger, enjoying the view of his fingers fucking Kyungsoo deep inside.

It isn’t until Kyungsoo curses at Jongin that he finally pulls his fingers out and rips open the condom wrapper. He rolls the rubber onto his cock, and slicks himself up with lube.

He reaches down, grabbing two handfuls of Kyungsoo’s ass and spreading his cheeks apart—and then he pushes in. His cock is thick and unyielding as he presses into Kyungsoo’s hole, and Kyungsoo moans at the feeling of Jongin filling him up. The bulbous head of his cock drags slowly against his walls, stretching his sensitive walls in a way that has Kyungsoo thrashing his head back and gasping for air. He goes slowly, careful not to hurt Kyungsoo, until he bottoms out.

Jongin stills his hips, letting Kyungsoo adjust to his length.

“Jongin, _please_. Please move, please _fuck me_ ,” he moans. He digs his heel into Jongin’s shoulder, prodding him to move.

And Jongin listens. He drives his hips forward, cock fucking deep and hard into Kyungsoo’s willing body, and he sets up a punishingly fast pace. He grips at Kyungsoo’s waist, fingers pressing into the soft skin there, as he pulls Kyungsoo down to meet his thrust, balls slapping against the meat of his firm ass, as he fucks the smaller man until it feels like Kyungsoo is going to burst. 

Jongin cradles the spot under his knees, shifting to grip them, and then pushes Kyungsoo’s legs towards him. He takes the bend easily, his knees up against his chest now, and at this angle Kyungsoo feels so full, so fucking stretched as Jongin’s cock drives inside of him, hitting his prostate with every thrust. He’s crying out now, his moans spilling from his lips and Jongin revels in the way it grows higher and higher in pitch with every snap of his hips. Kyungsoo is squirming desperately under him, letting out a stream of noises, _ah, ah, ah_ , as Jongin sinks in deeper.

Jongin can feel a tight pressure unravelling inside of him, and his mind becomes filled with how tight and wet Kyungsoo is around his cock, the pressure of his walls clinging to his length, the high pitched mewls spilling from his lips as he takes, and takes, _and takes_ Jongin’s hard thrusts. He pistons his hips faster, and then reaches to fist at Kyungsoo’s cock, listening to the way Kyungsoo cries out even louder, his hole rhythmically clenching down on his length. 

“J- _Jongin_ , Jongin, _ah, aah_ ,” he gasps, eyes rolling to the back of his head at the sensation of Jongin filling him up inside, stretching him so good, his hand on his cock—and Jongin can see the way Kyungsoo is unravelling. His walls clamp down on Jongin’s cock, and it’s the sight of Kyungsoo coming undone, the wet warmth around his own length, and the sight of his cock driving into Kyungsoo’s slick and shiny rosy rim, that pushes Jongin over the edge. With a deep groan and one last, hard thrust into his hole, Jongin spills into the condom just as Kyungsoo comes, spurting all over his belly and chest. 

Jongin pulls out with a wince. He slumps down hard next to Kyungsoo, his breathing unsteady as they both collect themselves. Jongin gathers his senses and neatly ties the condom before throwing it into the trash. He swipes carelessly at the t-shirt he threw on the floor earlier, and gently cleans off the cum cooling on Kyungsoo’s body. His hair must be a mess now, but he doesn’t care—how could he—as he presses gentle kisses onto Kyungsoo’s pliant lips.

He pulls Kyungsoo into his arms, wrapping himself around the smaller male and kisses the freckled tip of his nose. “You’re amazing, you know that, right?” he whispers.

Again, Kyungsoo blushes. He’s looking down, his slim fingers playing with a loose thread on the covers. “Jongin. About—about this. About last night,” he begins, before trailing off.

Jongin waits patiently, letting Kyungsoo gather his thoughts together.

He stares down at his fingers for a moment, before looking up at Jongin. He meets his gaze, and holds it. “I guess what I’m trying to say is...what are we? What are you looking for?”

Kyungsoo looks nervous, biting down on his bottom lip as he waits for Jongin’s answer. But he also looks firm, resolute, and again, Jongin is reminded of how strong Kyungsoo stands when he’s in the field.

It’s this image that has Jongin reaching out and softly grabbing onto Kyungsoo’s hand. He strokes his thumb over the soft skin. “I like you,” he says. “I know it has only been a few days, but I want to get to know you more. I know we just—” Jongin flushes slightly, too— “we just fucked. But I want to do this properly too. I want to keep talking to you. To keep seeing you. Take you out on a date.” He lets the words out in a stream, nervously. 

He waits for Kyungsoo’s response.

Kyungsoo squeezes back. His fingers interlock with Jongin’s, and he leans forward to kiss Jongin on the cheek. Just a soft press that lingers for a second, before Kyungsoo pulls back again. His face is red. But he’s smiling, his cheeks rising and bunching up under the weight of his lips curving up into a beautiful heart-shape that has Jongin falling in love with him, again and again.

He looks ethereal like this, with the warmth of the morning sun peeking through his window and casting a golden glow around Kyungsoo. For a moment, Jongin forgets how to breathe, air catching in his throat, forgets everything except Kyungsoo in that moment.

And Kyungsoo—he looks back, just as fondly. The weight of his eyes on Jongin settles on him like a warm blanket. “I like you, too.”


	2. Chapter 2

There are many ways that Jongin saw his relationship with Kyungsoo going. He had imagined cute dates, visiting local restaurants and cafes and trying out their most popular dishes. Kyungsoo would excitedly chatter about the ingredients and the _mouth-feel_ they invoked, and Jongin would fondly indulge him. He had imagined late night phone conversations, where they would both be lying in their respective dorm rooms, exhausted from a long day of practice. He had imagined visits to a park, somewhere in the middle between their two campuses, and Jongin would finally get his chance to try catching Kyungsoo’s pitches. He had imagined going to movie theatres with his boyfriend, holding his hand overtop their shared armrest, seeing the enraptured expression on Kyungsoo’s face as he took in the film. 

He had imagined them making love, holding hands in the throes of passion, suckling sensuous kisses down the line of his body, enjoying the feeling of warm skin-on-skin.

He had imagined many things, and to be fair, they all came true. Kyungsoo was wonderful and patient and loving, and even when they fought, Jongin had trust in their relationship and the other male to work together to overcome any issues. 

Jongin was _in love_.

But in all of the six months they have been dating, he had never imagined this—Kyungsoo bent over one of the benches in the Korea University’s baseball locker room, getting his ass enthusiastically eaten out by Jongin.

As athletes, both Jongin and Kyungsoo knew the amount of penetrative sex they would be having would be somewhat limited during the season. They spend too much time at practice, too much time honing their skills, maintaining their body to be tip-top perfect shape to play. As two of the most important players for their respective teams, they both took their jobs too seriously to jeopardize that. 

Kyungsoo, especially, sometimes could not walk for days after a good fucking. And it was fine, both were satisfied with other ways of getting off—and as much as Kyungsoo loved being fucked, he always felt satiated with Jongin no matter what. And Jongin never thought of sex as the end-all-be-all to relationships either. He would gladly take a celibacy vow if it was for Kyungsoo, just as long as he could stay by his side.

Neither of them wanted the other’s sports career to be at risk, and it was a rule they both talked about and understood.

But when there were days off in sight, vacation breaks with no schedules planned, they liked to make the most out of it.

The Korea University baseball team was given a four day weekend, on top of a few extra days for Kyungsoo as their starting pitcher. At their next date, Kyungsoo had scuffed his feet, shrugged his shoulders up to his ears in embarrassment, his freckled face glowing a rosy red—when he asked if Jongin was willing to sneak into the locker room during after hours and fuck Kyungsoo against the benches and lockers.

_It’s a fantasy of mine_ , he had shyly professed. He avoided Jongin’s gaze.

Jongin’s mouth had dried up, shock coursing through his body, but he had agreed to his request before he even fully thought it out.

And so, here they are now—in a dark locker room that still smells vaguely of sweat and wet towels. But none of that matters to Jongin, not here, not now when his lover is on his hands and knees, perky ass is high in the air, his pink rim open and willing for Jongin’s tongue.

Kyungsoo’s wearing a jockstrap, just because he can, and because he knows the way it frames his ass and accentuates the rounded curve of his cheeks. It lifts his already impossibly firm ass higher, and Jongin can feel himself salivating with the desire to bury his face between those cheeks.

He’s also wearing Jongin’s varsity jacket, just because Jongin can, and he asked Kyungsoo to wear it. Jongin admires the way it looks in him. The hem falls past his thighs and the sleeves dwarfs his fingers, and it would look comically oversized if it didn't strike at something primal deep inside Jongin. The jacket has been pushed up high against his back now, so that Jongin can get a better view of his plush ass. 

Jongin runs his hand over the curve of his ass and grabs his cheeks, kneading hard, enjoying the feeling firm muscle and plump flesh. He spreads Kyungsoo wide open, and leans in, swiping his tongue down his crack and over his furled opening. He hears Kyungsoo cry out at the sudden sensation, body jolting forward. Down there, he tastes clean, smelling faintly of soap, and something that is uniquely _Kyungsoo_.

He licks a second stripe over the rosy rim, before pushing his tongue past the tight ring of muscle. Kyungsoo chokes out a noise, bitten off, and Jongin resolves to have him screaming by the end of the night. He works him open, tongue plunging in and out of his tight hole until he’s slick, wet, and sloppy.

Kyungsoo’s whimpering into his fists, head bent low on the bench, as he rocks back and forth, trying to fuck himself back onto Jongin’s tongue. He feels spit dribbling down the back of his thighs, but it also makes him feel hotter, more turned on. Jongin steadies Kyungsoo’s movements with a firm grip on his hips, and pulls back to plant open-mouthed kisses on his hole that has his boyfriend trembling, gasping out weakly as he tries to grind his ass back onto Jongin’s face.

With one hand, Jongin slicks up his finger with the lube he had kept on the bench with him. He licks over Kyungsoo’s quivering hole again, before thrusting his tongue in strong, undulating movements. He can feel Kyungsoo clenching down onto his tongue, his cries growing desperate as he pushes into the sensation. He rubs one lubed finger against Kyungsoo’s fluttering rim, and pushes the digit in along with Jongin’s tongue. The artificial strawberry taste—bought specifically so that Jongin could eat Kyungsoo out while fingerfucking him—hits his tongue. Jongin quickly adds a second finger.

His fingers slide in easy, Kyungsoo still slightly wet and open from their fucking earlier today, and he thrusts two fingers into his tight heat. He curls his fingers and rubs over the spongy spot deep inside him until Kyungsoo is gasping out Jongin’s name, squirming on his tongue and fingers like he’s in heat, whimpering out a _please, please_ as he falls apart to Jongin and cums, spurting all over the bench.

Carefully, Jongin pulls his fingers out, Kyungsoo’s hole clamping down on his thick digits as if he can’t bare to be empty. He barely has time to admire the way his rosy rim quivers before Kyungsoo suddenly pushes Jongin down, his back flat on the bench.

“We’re not done yet,” Kyungsoo says. His mouth is set in a firm line of determination, just like when he’s practicing his four seam fastball and can’t quite control the location enough, even as his the tips of his ears burn bright red. He straddles Jongin, with one hand gathering the varsity jacket up, his back facing him so that Jongin gets the most amazing view of his ass framed by the jockstrap.

“Are you sure?” he says, even as his hands go up to squeeze and knead at his cheeks. He’s so hard that his cock feels swollen. His cock is purple at the tip, throbbing and dripping precum onto his toned stomach.

Kyungsoo reaches behind him and grabs the base of Jongin’s cock. He squeezes gently, just enough to provoke a heartfelt moan from Jongin, and then he’s lining it up to his entrance.

“I want you to make me come a second time,” Kyungsoo says. He’s rubbing the bulbous head of his cock against his rim. Circling his hips in a teasing motion, he savours the way it pulls at his hole, the way the tip of Jongin’s length catches on his puckered opening. 

Jongin moans, his hands still kneading at Kyungsoo’s fat ass. He stares, enraptured, as Kyungsoo finally begins pressing down on his throbbing cock. Slowly, Kyungsoo sinks down onto Jongin, inch-by-inch, and the skin around his rim goes taut and rosy from the stretch. Kyungsoo is panting, breaths coming out in hiccupy gasps, as he lowers himself. He’s wet and warm and so fucking _tight_ , and Jongin wants to cry from how good he feels. 

“Fuck,” he hisses out, squeezing Kyungsoo’s cheeks. “You feel amazing.

Kyungsoo lets out a loud moan, his hole fluttering desperately on his length. When Jongin is finally buried to the hilt inside Kyungsoo, his lover seats himself on Jongin’s lap for a few, agonizing seconds, before he pulls himself back up and then slams down, gaining a choked moan from Jongin. One of Kyungsoo’s hands land on Jongin’s muscular thighs for leverage as he bounces in Jongin’s lap, fucking himself fast and hard on his cock. His head is thrown back, his mouth all swollen and sweet and red, as he cries out in pleasure. He’s undulating his hips now, grinding in circles on top of Jongin’s cock..

“Yes, yes, like that,” Jongin moans. He thrusts up erratically, and the new angle has his cock sinking in deeper, hitting Kyungsoo’s sweet spot in a way that has the older man shaking and bouncing in wild abandon. 

“Oh, _oh god_ ,” Kyungsoo whimpers, his hole spasming around his length deliciously. The pressure on his cock has starbursts of pleasure erupting behind his eyes. The sight of his boyfriend trembling on top of him, crying out helplessly into the empty and dark locker room, has Jongin gritting his teeth and fucking up, harder and more forceful. Their moans echo in the large room, accompanied with the wet, slick sounds of Kyungsoo riding him. His ass ripples and jiggles from the way Jongin’s fucking up into him, his balls heavy against the meat of Kyungsoo’s ass. 

“Jongin, Jongin, _a-ah, yes_ ,” Kyungsoo moans, and Jongin bucks up hard, driving his cock into Kyungsoo as the smaller man falls to pieces before him. 

When Kyungsoo comes, he _screams_. He’s shaking, completely blissed out, shivering as his hole weakly spasms around Jongin’s thick length, and it’s the sight of his boyfriend all fucked out that has Jongin coming a second later, spilling hot inside Kyungsoo’s warmth. 

They come down from their high together, with Kyungsoo breathlessly slumped over Jongin’s body. They’re messy now, all dirty from sweat and cum, but the memory of Kyungsoo all fucked out and insatiably horny on top of him has Jongin’s cock twitching weakly in response. 

“I love you,” Kyungsoo says. His eyes are closed and he’s boneless on top of Jongin, but Jongin doesn’t mind. Despite the lean muscles built from years and years of playing baseball, Kyungsoo is still built smaller and lighter.

“I love you more,” Jongin says. His voice is hushed, reverent. He gives Kyungsoo a tiny peck on the round tip of his freckled nose, and then grins at the way his bottom lip settles into a little pout. 

His boyfriend is so cute.

After a minute or so, Jongin finally finds the strength to gather Kyungsoo up in his arms and cleans them both up. 

_One of the benefits to fucking in a locker room are the readily available showers_ , Jongin thinks.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed! if someone wrote an au version where kyungsoo actually _is_ one of the cheerleaders, i'd give you all my love.
> 
> some other wips i have that hopefully will one day see the light of day...posting this here because maybe it'll force me to finish writing them:
> 
> 1) camboy(s?) baeksoo  
> 2) lesbians chansoo - i had this one scene i kept thinking about where they're cuddling on the couch, kyungsoo is watching a film while chanyeol is dozing off on top of her. she's kinda squishing her tiny gf a little but it's okay because kyungsoo loves her. also chanyeol's head being buried between kyungsoo's tits  
> 3) a long, long chansoo fic that's loosely inspired by tangled. it features wide-eyed, naive kyungsoo, suave and roguish chanyeol, and a lot of flowers.
> 
> i made a [twitter](https://twitter.com/sooblushes) if you want to interact with me there. if anyone followed me for my twitter au, i promise ill start posting that soon.


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